There was this one episode from the fifth season of How I Met Your Mother which guest starred Jennifer Lopez, and was entitled "Of Course". J.Lo's character, Anita Appleby, was the author of the self-help book "Of Course You're Still Single, Take A Look at Yourself, You Dumb Slut" which was themed to empower women by merely saying "no".

And I never thought that I would ever relate my life to a TV show as goofy and comic as HIMYM. This certain episode is something that I actually used in real life, and I bet it worked.

My friends know me as a boundlessly kind person (or do they really? :P), accepting things good and bad with a smile, saying thank you even to the enemy, and being positive about things. I say "yes" almost all the time to almost all things. I feel like I was born to be the second Mother Theresa (LOL). But as the cliche goes, too much of something is just, well, too much and is not good. My being kind has been abused so many times and I realized that this time, I have to say no when the situation calls to protect myself. I realized that selfishness is a good thing in moderation. Well, everything is.

Saying 'no' doesn't necessarily have to mean negation in all sense. Sometimes, it can be something positive - and nothing can be a better vibe than empowering yourself.

Have you ever imagined yourself sitting on a chair having a dinner with a stranger? Well for some years, it was termed as “EB” or “eyeball” which for me is the jologs name for “blind date”. I never thought that I would agree on a setup like this, which at first I was really hesitant but then I gave a smile on my face.

On a short notice, I was having a difficulty on my “whats”; what to wear, what to say and what to be. So my mood was a mix up of fear and thrill with a bang of confusion. ‘Do I really need this? Am I really a frustrated single hitting on luck?’

I had no choice for I already blocked my schedule just for this date. I arrived at the venue not knowing who I’m going to meet. Here comes the jologs text: ‘Where are you exactly? What color are you wearing?’ Oh crap I hate it! It’s like asking the good old days on chat, ‘ASL PLS?’. Hopes were down ‘coz honestly I really have a mid-to-high standards. I went to the meeting place and approached my date, and then there goes my friendly smile.

The first choice for our dinner was a Vietnamese resto, but since the mall was too crowded we can hardly find a table, we decided to grab some pasta-pizza at another resto. I already placed my order at the cashier, and just right after I paid, “Pwede mo bang i-cancel ‘yong order mo? Sa iba na lang tayo.” (Wow! Ako naman itong si masunurin, pina-cancel ko naman) It was already too late to cancel the order so we stayed instead. I was disappointed when I saw my date didn’t finish the meal, I asked: “What’s wrong? Bakit hindi mo inubos yan?”... “I don’t like it. Masyadong dry at fried (referring to chicken)”. So we left, the food was untouched and abandoned. Poor chicken, sana binigay na lang sa mga bata sa lansangan; a deed I was hoping my date to think of.

After the dinner, we had a long talk about love life, some random persons and work related topics. The highlight of the evening was the boiling emotions of my date’s recent break up. I was like the Love Doctor giving advice to someone in bitter-ish pain. But I clearly understand that sometimes it’s good to grip some random thoughts from a stranger when you are down.

Then the night was over.

I would say it wasn’t a terrible date at all, it just didn’t start well. There was no satisfaction to me that the date was fun. Maybe I was too tightened with the venting which made the conversation ailing itself to be better. Still, I am thankful that I shared my opinions and most importantly I gain a friend.